340 Forestry Quarterly. 



In this connection, the rapid change of prices for the land is of 

 interest as exhibited by the average prices paid for farms by the 

 commission, namely, in 1886-1896, $55-65 per acre; in 1904, $98; 

 in 1906, $137; in 1909, $122. 



An example refers to a change of hands of certain forest prop- 

 erty, which almost reminds us of our own experiences. Around 

 7,000 acres, the property of the Prince of Saxe-Meiningen, was 

 sold in 1898 to a bank for $300,000, because the forest supervisor 

 considered it improper to make an extraordinary felling in order 

 to secure $12,000. The bank immediately cut this amount from 

 275 acres, and in 1899 sold the property for $500,000. In 1904, 

 upon the death of the new owner, the colonization commission 

 bought it for $800,000. 



A table shows the changes which have taken place in the owner- 

 ship of forest in the four districts involved from 1864 to 1900, 

 namely percentic increases in State forest, and decreases in private 

 forest, as follows: Danzig, -I-13, — 13-5; Marienwerder, +13.6, 

 — 14.9 ; Posen, +9.3, — 7 ; Bromberg, -f 8.6, — 4.8. At the same 

 time poor pastures and waste lands had been decreased by 250,000 

 acres, or about 25 per cent. 



This statement shows, of course, that the private owners even 

 lately have continued to decrease their forest area, for the in- 

 creases in State forest were largely secured by planting up waste 

 lands. The two provinces show a lower forest per cent. 19.8 and 

 22.9) than the average for the monarchy (23.7) ; in spite of their 

 extensive poor sand areas and in spite of the activity of the forest 

 administration, there are still over 800,000 acres of poor pasture 

 and waste land left, besides poor farm land, that ought to be 

 under forest. 



The resume of conditions states that the forest area of the two 

 provinces has decreased at a threatening rate, especially on abso- 

 lute forest soil ; the waste land resulting from forest destruc- 

 tion exhibits an increasingly dangerous form and extent ; in spite 

 of improved agriculture, reduction in sheep, and successful re- 

 forestation, the devastation is increasing, blowing sands threat- 

 ening the farm lands. 



Finally the activity of the State forest administration is dis- 

 cussed. Private efforts in the sixties to reforest waste lands re- 

 mained without result. The forest protection law of 1875 also 

 failed to be effective, as well as the law of 1881, which was to 



